Safety device for street-railway curves.



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o o if O A'IIIIIIIIH AIIIIIIIIIIINIHW 5 I Q o I I L v 0' I q 'Q o 9 O o O o s. BLUEF'IELDER. SAFETY DEVICE FOR STREET RAILWAY CURVES. I APPLICATION FILED JAN.26, 1914.

"11510352569 Patented my; 14, 1914.

'o'ooo SAMUEL BLUEFIELDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY DEVICE TE'ORSTREET-RAILWAY CURVES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, rate.

Application filed January 26, 1914. Serial No. 814,460.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL BLUEFIELDER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Tmprovement in Safety Devices for Street- Railway Curves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to street railway tracks and has particular reference to a safety arrangement extending along the curves of such tracks.

It is well known that numerous accidents to pedestrians occur because the latter misjudge the extent of outward swinging of the body of the car as it rounds curves and are struck thereby. The distance which the body will overhang on a curve is very deceiving and there is always danger at curves on this account, especially.at curves on busy streets.

Accordingly, the object of my invention is to provide means to prevent accidents at the curves of street railway tracks.

The novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is aplan view of a curve on a double track street railway and illustrates the manner of carrying out my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section of part of the roadway taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of roadbed having another kind of marker and embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, 10 and 11 designate the inner and outer tracks respectively of a double track electric street railway. Fig. 1 shows only that portion of the roadway and the curves in the two tracks at the intersection of two streets, being suflioient for the illustration of my invention. A street car C is shown in outline on the curve of each track. The bodies of the cars intermediate-their ends are pivoted to front and rear trucks T shown in dotted lines. As'the trucks are at different points on the curves,'the center line of the car body will occupy the position of a chord of the arc. Consequently, as the car moves onto the curve the front end thereof at its outer cornor will project out considerably beyond the track and if the car carries a fender in addition, it will sweep quite a distance outside the curve.

The amount of overhang orv sweep in some types of cars becomes as much as seven feet. In order to warn pedestrians and properly mark the extreme outward swing of any part of the car at the curve,

l plot a line on the roadway or pavement along the outer side of eachlof the curves.

These lines which define the extreme outward swing of the ends of the car are designated by the numerals 12 and 13, and are curves though not of the same radius as the curved tracks. The line 12 extending alongside the track 10 may be between the latter and the outer track 11 or on some curves may even cross the outer track. At frequent intervals along the lines 12 and 13 thus plotted, I drive or set markers into the roadway or pavement, thus permanently incorporating them in the roadway alongside the tracks. As illustrated in F 2, spikes 14 may be employed as markers and they may be driven or set in the pavement P so that the upper ends thereof will be flush with the.

surface of the pavement forming a spot line of spaced markers along the outside of the curve. The spikes 14 may be of any known or preferred design to permanently anchor them in place and make them a permanent part of the roadway. The spikes 14- are preferably provided with heads 15 of any distinctive shape or color contrasting with that of the roadway or pavement so that they will attract the attention of the public.

Where thepavement consists of blocks or bricks certain of the bricks located along the curves defined by the lines 12 and 13 may be made of a'distinctive color or shape or may have their surfaces colored. 'This embodiment of my invention is illustrated in Fig. 3 in which the blocks or bricks 16 in the pavement P are of distinctive color in contrast with that of the roadway orpavement and are set alongthe curved line 18 which defines the extent of extreme outward swing of any par of the car.

By calling the attention of the public to the purpose of the line along the track, pedestrians will keep outside the line of markers until after the car passes around the curve. It frequently happens that persons will step forward after the front end of the car has passed and will be struck by the rear end of" the car, because they do not realize that the rearend of the car on some curves may swing out a greater extent than the front end.

. projecting or overhanging While I have indicated specific means for carrying out my invention I do not-wish to be limited to the exact details as shown and described because it is obvious that they may be varied in certain particulars Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is, I

1. A safety device for a street railway curve comprising a line on the outside of the curveindicating the path of the extreme portions of the ends of a car passing around the curve, said line being formed by material permanently incorporated in and flush with the roadway or pavement adjacent the curve arid having the color of its upper surface contrasting with thatof the roadwayior pavement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A safety device for a street railway,

a line on the outside of the curve indicatin the path of the extreme projecting or *over anging portions of the ends of a car passing aroundthe curve, said line being formed by spaced markers permanently incorporated in and flush with the roadway or pavement adjacent the curve and having the color of their upper surfaces contrasting with that of the roadway or pavement, substantially .as and for the purpose set forth. In testimony whereof I aiiix in presence of two witnesses.

, SAMUEL BLUEFIELDER.

Witnesses: DOBIAN DRENILLO, RosE E. J oRRIscH.

curve comprising my signature I I 

